Body Armor

Yes, for the time being, it is widely legal to wear and purchase body armor. As long as you are a U.S. citizen living in the country and a non-felon (some felonies disqualify), you can own body armor.

I say ‘for the time being’ because congressional bill H.R.378 has just been introduced (JAN-2015) by three democrats who are proposing to ban certain body armor nationwide (level III or better), except of course for themselves, govt agencies and ‘officials’ – and the police.

Current prohibition: Residents of Connecticut are prohibited from buying body armor.

Here’s more on the proposed congressional ban which may affect many of you who perhaps wear body armor for safety while at the gun range (or for any of the other logical reasons as listed below).

The information below that is a re-post from an earlier article in which I described the various types (levels) of body armor. Curious to hear from you on the proposed ban, as well as your experiences/recommendations regarding body armor. I have a feeling there’s going to be a run on body armor…

In the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting politicians from coast-to-coast attempted to push through legislation that would ban a host of guns, magazines and accessories. Though their efforts failed for the most part, those who would take away our ability to defend ourselves always have another tyrannical card up their sleeves.

The latest efforts to attack personal defense as a natural birthright comes from distinguished Congressional representatives Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Danny Davis (D-IL) and takes aim not at your ability to possess a firearm, but rather, to protect yourself from criminals who own them.

HR 378, dubbed the Responsible Body Armor Possession Act, would make it illegal for civilians to own “enhanced body armor” such as helmets, shields or armor plates that meet or exceed Type III protection. The bill would exempt law enforcement officers and other government officials.

The co-sponsors of the bill believe body armor in the hands of private citizens to be so dangerous that they intend to impose a 10 year federal prison sentence on those found to be in possession of the contraband.

The new law would still allow Americans to own Type I and Type II protection, which are designed to stop calibers ranging from .22 caliber to .357 Magnum respectively. Type III body armor is designed to stop higher velocity hand gun rounds like a high-velocity 9mm or .44 magnum and rifle rounds like the AK-47′s 7.62x39mm. Type IV, often reserved for special law enforcement response teams, is capable of stopping even armor piercing rounds from rifles.

Should such a law be passed, Americans would no longer have the ability to determine for themselves which type of body armor is best suited for their needs. Instead, we would be limited to protection from only a handful of calibers. And, as we well know, as soon as criminals with ill intent get wind that their victims probably won’t own body armor that’s able to stop a .44 or high velocity 9mm round, they’ll quickly switch to new weapons capable of ripping through “legal” protection.
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Who can buy body armor

It is your responsibility to do due-diligence regarding body armor transactions conforming to U.S. and Federal, State and Local Statutes, Codes, and Ordinances and your local laws and regulations.

Unless you live in Connecticut, it is generally the case that law-abiding citizens are legally allowed to purchase and wear body armor.

When purchasing body armor, a background or criminal history is NOT run on the individual buying the body armor. That means that it is your responsibility to be sure that you are legally allowed to purchase body armor. If you are caught with body armor and have a felony criminal record (certain felonies prohibit ownership of body armor), you will be held responsible for owning the body armor and will have to accept any and all consequences. Just saying…

Types of body armor

Kevlar provides exceptional protection to ballistic threats. Worn regularly by a diverse range of individuals, vests of this material can stop a variety of bullets- from shotgun, to .44 magnum rounds.

Laminated Kevlar provides additional protection by also being stab and spike resistant against improvised weapons such as knives, shanks, and stabbing attacks with things like tools or broken bottles, etc.

Not all body armor offers the same protection, and it is important to remember that nothing is entirely “bulletproof”. There will always be great danger in these types of situations.

Having said that, generally, a highly recommended level of armor protection is “Level IIIa” or even better — “Level III (hard body armor)”.

Level III body armor is designed to protect against rifle calibers up to 7.62×51 or .308 Winchester at a velocity of 2780 ft/s, as well as all lower level calibers.

Levels of body armor

All body armor products are categorized into one of six levels.
Protection begins at Level I which offers the least amount of protection and increases to Level IV which offers the most amount of protection.

General description…

Type I
(.22 LR; .380 ACP)

Type IIa
(9 mm; .40 S&W; .45 ACP)

Type II
(9 mm; .357 Magnum)

Type IIIa
(.357 SIG; .44 Magnum)

Type III
(Rifles, e.g. 7.62×51mm NATO M80 ball)

Type IV
(Armor Piercing Rifle, e.g. .30-06 M2 (AP) Springfield)

Who uses body armor?

Obviously anyone who chooses to protect them-self from this risk because of their concern that at some point they may be in a potentially dangerous environment. An increasing number of ordinary citizens are considering their security for a SHTF collapse scenario where social-chaos may one day rule the streets.

We have a range right on our own place, really just the back hill and some straw bales, but out here you don’t need much more. Anyway, a couple years ago my friend was teaching his wife to shoot her new revolver and as he was doing that, his dad and I were standing and talking about 40 yards behind them. After the third shot we heard a ricochet come back right over our heads up in the trees.His dad was a shooter in Korea, and said it must of hit a rock or a spent jacketed slug in the backstop.They never heard or knew anything had happened.

His dad nonchalantly said “when it’s your time,ITS YOUR TIME”.

Makes me take target practice much more seriously and would wear a vest if I had one.

Great idea to wear one even if you dont run into a nut like Chris Kyle did.

I am a keen collector of tactical warfare equipment and was looking to upgrade my assortments with some real time body armors. BTW, can you suggest me some good websites where I can grab body armors that resemble the ones worn by the American soldiers during the Afghanistan war.

Taking away your gun rights is not enough, now they want you to be completely defenseless! Let your outrage be heard loud and clear by your so called ‘elected representatives’ and use https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/114/hr378

The right for one to defend one’s self is no different than wearing the armor. It’s like standing behind a brick wall in a gun battle. What’s next? Banning brick walls? If criminals use them, the authorities have to practice aiming for legs, arms, necks, buttocks, lower abdomen, or heads instead of hitting the broad side of a barn.

I don’t know how God fearing citizens can stay in a State like commie Connecticut. If you are a citizen of that state or others that have denied your constitutional rights please consider a move to a state that upholds constitutional rights (easier said than done, I know). That being said, I keep upgraded flak jackets (level II+) and helmets in each of my vehicles. When travelling to the city I like to know I have some protection if Ferguson type rioting breaks out. My wife also has my old police vest handy if I am not home and someone makes the mistake of choosing our house for a home invasion. A local army surplus store sells kevlar helmets for $35-60 each (Brit and American) and flak vests ($30-75). Easy investment

We’ve picked up “used” kevlar soft body armor to assist in kitting up our vehicles,(with the help of some talented friends), while not perfect, we’ve at least hardened them up just a bit. We also own and travel with our “new” personal body armor, especially in Communist-strongholds, when we are forced to travel in or to those states. Like the poster above, “…when it’s your time, it’s your time…”. Rather NOT have my/our “time” be contingent upon exigent circumstances, and thug demographics.

Kevlar does break down over time by perspiration and sunlight (and certainly if previously shot). However, in my own unofficial testing of numerous used police vests I have found that even the surplus ones held up quite well when shot with handgun rounds. Police agencies have agreements to turn in their vests for new ones every few years. However, in the military we used vests until they were physically falling apart. Keep in mind, to stop rifle rounds you need a higher level of protection that only comes with ceramic or AR500 steel plates.

To sum up, if you buy a used vest that appears in good condition, you should be fine. Store it in a closet or somewhere that it will not be subjected to constant UV rays or chemicals and it will maintain its integrity for decades.

LEO departments almost always replace vests after 5 years. NIJ has conducted tests on vests 10 years or older and they have met performance standards. I would guess there is a different for a vest that is used daily verses one that sat on a shelf for 10 years. I know I have seen changes in mine as I have worn it mine. Always store it flat.

Where do you get the info that it is illegal to buy it in ct.? My research says its illegal if you are a convicted felon. I also saw that it is illegal to sell it to someone unless it is a face to face transaction.

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